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Who I am

My name is David Cole and I am a writer. I've always been one, I figure, having been born with the desire to tell stories. Sometimes the things I write are true, sometimes they aren't. Sometimes they happened, more or less. What I'm concerned with in my work is finding the tough truths that tend to get buried in our moving about and let the light shine on them again.

I write a bit of everything: poetry, prose, scripts, and non-fiction. My fictional work tends to be narrative-based, searching for those stories. My non-fiction is very situational and open for whatever freelancing opportunities present themselves, but I tend to write mostly about video games and our relationship with them.

I am a Kentuckian who is proud of his home and culture. Its tendrils twirl and entangle with my writing, making the two inseparable. I like to think of my work as literary bluegrass: pleasant to the ears, born from a very specific place and time, and seeking to tell the stories of those whose stories don't tend to get told.

You’re the stake. Beat up and dirty.But you’ll keep getting put out there,right back in the tilled soil year after yearbecause you hold up so well. You’re young,son. And you’ve got a lot of words to find.

— To Lexington, Come

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things i have made

I'VE BEEN A PRISONER ALL MY LIFE (AND I CAN SAY TO YOU) OR YOUNG PHIL COLLINS IN LOVE

A cycle of love poems telling the story of a verbose misanthrope who finds himself living a life already defined by the music of British musician Phil Collins. For sale here.

A MAN OF STEEL: THREE STORIES FROM THE SUPERMAN MYTHOS

Short stories derived from the great tradition of Superman narratives. Examines the Man of Steel as an American myth. For sale here.

DOWNTOWN DIRT-BROKE DESPERADO: POEMS FOR THE MODERN COWBOY

Ten poems about the ideals of the American West and the cowboy, through the lens of the present day. For sale here.

Boring white boy sees world

A book of travel poems split into three sections, detailing travel through China, my old Kentucky home, and Europe. Forthcoming.

AN ODDITY BELOW

A science-fiction narrative in verse, telling the story of a down-and-out young man who only wants to see the stars. Guided by the music of David Bowie. All proceeds benefit the National Cancer Institute. Forthcoming.

I holler out at the streaksof light blinking and blingingin the stillness of Kentucky’s nightbeneath her old blue moon,pale and reflecting the lightof something so much brighter.

— 27, from "My Days Are Numbered, Vol. 1"

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What now?

I recommend checking out the About page for more information about me, including what to do if you'd like to work with me. Or go to the Store and see what cool work is available for purchase. Alternatively, sign up for the Mailing List! It's a great way to stay in touch and you'll get lots of cool, free goodies out of it.